I read the comments, but my query was why it has changed in the past couple of years? I know the Schengen rules, but my thought was about ensuring that passengers travelled with their own luggage and that the person boarding an a/c was the correct guy, from a security point of view. Thinking about Interpol and tracking people, it renders that unreliable in Schengen (at airports) because the checkin does not ensure that person boarded that flight, and there is no passport check at arrival. I know Schengen is about free travel, and only airports have an opportunity to check. I was just curious in this day an age that something like this would be relaxed. Does anyone have the inside facts on this, and is it now common at all Schengen airports? Surely it must be a collective policy.